Author: Eden Beck
Category: Paranormal
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/29741_2
“Oh, you know, everyone.”
I roll my eyes dramatically enough to make sure she can see me doing it. Her lips purse in the mirror, and I find a small pleasure in that act of defiance. She hates it when I roll my eyes. Typical teenager stuff. Every so often I like to throw her a bone, make her think we’re just another normal family.
Just her and I now. Hardly a family.
“Who lives in the mansion now?” I ask, curious despite myself.
“No one, I don’t think,” she answers, clearly happy for the shift in conversation. “They say the man lived in this little cabin while he was building the big house above. I think he lived up there for a while, but I’m sure he’s dead by now.”
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“Ouch, mom,” I say, sitting forward far enough to make sure she sees my skeptical face, “that’s pretty morbid.”
“No, it’s not,” she says. “It was a long time ago. Everyone from back then is dead now.”
She says it so flippantly with a matching wave of her hand, I almost laugh.
“Well then,” I say, “let’s just hope all these dead people didn’t leave behind any ghosts.”
The car finally pulls up to a stop in front of the little cabin and we both get out to stretch our legs. As soon as I open the door, cool, clean air washes over us, permeated with the scent of pine and juniper. There’s a dampness here that’s different from the South where I grew up. It’s as if the air carries part of the trees with it, filling my lungs until I become a part of the forest too.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many trees before, even with all of the moving around we’ve done. The cabin is surrounded by a forest that stretches all the way up the hill, getting denser and more rich in color the further up it goes. It’s really beautiful, probably the most beautiful place we’ve lived so far.
Also, by far the most lonely.
I don’t realize how long I’ve been standing outside until I hear a slight rustling in the leaves behind me. I turn, fully prepared to say something to my mother … when I realize she isn’t there.
She must have gone into the cabin ahead of me.
The drive disappears into the trees, winding down behind me towards the main road a quarter mile below. Even in midday, there’s a gloom that settles here. Parts of the forest floor, carpeted in fallen moss-covered logs and broken branches, look as if they’ve never seen the sun.
Just as I’m about to turn away, I hear that rustling sound again. I turn in a slow circle, my eyes searching the underbrush around me for signs of life. Seeing nothing, I take a step towards one of the bushes to get a better look—only to be startled back a step as two turtle doves erupt from the leaves with a squawk. They flutter up into the branches above as I take a moment to compose myself, hand pressed to my heart and eyes shut as the quiet returns.
It’s nothing. Just birds.
So far, we’ve chosen to hide in the anonymity of large suburbs, bustling cities, and cheap pay-by-the-week roadside motels. It’s going to take some time for me to grow used to the change in scenery, to grow less jumpy at every sound.
Just as I’m starting to shake this uneasy feeling, the sudden silence is broken again.
This time by an unmistakable sound.
It’s a scream … from inside the cabin.
2
Rory
I don’t need heightened senses to hear the cry carry up to us through the trees. The high-pitched sound sends a flurry of sparrows erupting from the tops of the branches further down the hill.
In the direction of the old cabin.
That can only mean one thing.
Kaleb bursts through the door to my room without knocking—as per usual. His face is flushed, his eyes bright, nose practically twitching from excitement. Marlowe sidles in behind him a moment earlier, choosing to lean against the doorway with a smug little grin.
“Did you hear?” Kaleb’s voice is breathless. “They’re here.”
Behind him, Marlowe’s smile somehow grows even wider.
“And you’re here, why?”